These toothpick puzzles challenge a student's visualization and knowledge of basic geometric shapes and orientations. Students must transform geometric figures into others by adding, moving or removing toothpicks. Starting from the 6 given formations there are 13 different puzzles to solve. A link to the answer key is provided.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

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Standards for Mathematical Practice[K-12]

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.[K-12]

Geometry[K - 8]

Reason with shapes and their attributes.[1 - 3]

2. Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape.[3]

Classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their properties.[5]

3. Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.[5]